


Scattered

by Ausp_ice



Series: Ascendant [8]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Abduction, Aromantic spectrum, Asexuality Spectrum, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Gen, Injury, Omnipresence, relationship exploration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23150986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ausp_ice/pseuds/Ausp_ice
Summary: Connor and Nines are captured, and Connor has no choice but to fragment himself to find help.
Relationships: Connor & Elijah Kamski, Connor & Gavin Reed, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed, Hank Anderson & Connor, Hank Anderson & Gavin Reed, Hank Anderson & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Original Chloe | RT600 & Elijah Kamski, Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Gavin Reed
Series: Ascendant [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1629997
Comments: 16
Kudos: 101





	Scattered

**Author's Note:**

> This fic ran away from me so much.  
> The seed was just from one of Veilder's reviews way back - about Connor hijacking Gavin's phone. And suddenly, Opportunities arose and grabbed me by the collar. *sweats at all the relationship tags*
> 
> But you know what? I am very happy with the direction this took. No regrets. 
> 
> Also, I uh. Definitely skimped out on a lot of logistical details and accuracy but all of that is Not Important so kindly excuse my severe neglect of those :>
> 
> Cover art is posted [here](https://sta.sh/0ua2kvko4c4)!

The situation is grim. The prospects of their absence being noticed in time are dwindling by the second. 

Nines had… miscalculated. The effect of the forced-stasis virus remotely injected into his and Connor's systems was sufficient to incapacitate both of them. Long enough to disable them in a more thorough manner. By the time Nines had purged it from his systems, a disabling chip had been installed in his port, preventing him from moving or contacting anyone. 

Connor is still unconscious, but Nines can see the marks of forced entry on his neck port as well. The scratches under his skin, the evaporated thirium. The sight makes a hot, disgusting rage bubble inside him, warring with his helplessness.

Their captors had noticed Nines come online, but the chip override was strong enough to render him unable to do anything but blink at them. 

He can't stand it. Connor is _right there_ , he doesn't know what the virus is doing to him in this state, he doesn't know if the override would cause errors in his mutated code—he needs—he needs to _see,_ he needs to be _there—_

Something breaks in his code, and suddenly, he can move. He tears out the chip in the back of his neck, ignoring the shouts of the captors to immediately run to Connor and open an interface. 

In an instant, he assesses Connor's status. The virus has been quarantined and 93% purged. The override chip is doing nothing beyond its intended purpose. 

Nines is relieved—but he has no time to dwell on it. Their captors get too close for comfort. He sweeps a leg underneath the nearest one, causing them to topple over into another, buying him some more time. He tries to call Gavin— 

**[NO SIGNAL]**

His heart plummets. His analysis software informs him that they are in a Faraday cage—no communications would be able to be transmitted. 

A bullet tears through his chest. He jerks back, surprised, it is noncritical damage, but how could he be so _careless_ — 

"Shit! Don't damage it!"

"It'll kill us if it gets the chance! One's better than nothing!"

A thrill of fear runs through him. He has to escape. He has to— 

The world slows in his preconstruction. There are four humans, two of which hold firearms. Six more humans are scattered nearby, but not in the same room. The two that are armed are the farthest from him, out of reach. The two on the floor are getting up, and one is approaching quickly.

**[PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS: 10%]**

There's no choice. He strikes the jaw of the nearest human with enough force to incapacitate them for days, if it didn't kill them. Another shot sounds in the air, but this one misses. The human likely did not want to harm their companion. He grabs the next closest one and uses them as a shield— 

**[WARNING: FOREIGN UPLOAD]**

**[VIRUS DETECTED]**

Nines's limbs lock up. He falters, the human scrambling away from him. 

**[PURGING… 20%]**

He hadn't factored in the virus. It doesn't render him unconscious like last time, and he can purge it much more quickly than before, but it's still _too slow_ — 

**[BIOCOMPONENT #2115r DAMAGED]**

"Fucking androids," Nines hears, as his leg folds under him, no longer supporting his weight.

**[PURGE COMPLETE]**

Too late.

**[THIRIUM LEVELS DROPPING]**

**[-03:20:00 TIME REMAINING BEFORE SHUTDOWN]**

He feels a panic rise in his chest. He's failed. He's failed, he's going to die, Connor's going to be _taken_ for whatever purpose these _disgusting humans_ have intended— 

The world slows.

_Nines… ?_

Connor is awake, he realizes, in this suspended moment. He's not interfacing, instead using the thread of his _other_ connection.

He can feel Connor's hazy alarm, as he takes in the situation.

_I have to…_ Static flickers in the monochromatic display. _I can… reach. Access systems beyond…_ Paths trace from the humans' communicators, out of the cage and dispersing past the walls. _I will be… disconnected. Different parts of me._

Dread rolls through Nines's systems. _You already are, aren't you? How much of you is here?_

_30%_ , comes the reply. _I'm sorry… this is the only chance to save both of us. I'll still be with you, Nines… part of me. I won't leave you alone…_

The milliseconds tick by, and—there's no choice, is there? Even if— _How will this affect you, Connor? The disconnection?_

The damning, _I don't know. I'm sorry._

The world speeds up again, and—

**[BIOCOMPONENT #1834 DAMAGED]**

**[-01:12:34 TIME REMAINING BEFORE SHUTDOWN]**

Nines collapses over Connor as another bullet tears through him. He tries to interface—he can _feel_ the dispersal—20, 10, 5%, now—before he's dragged away. He clings to Connor's hand. _"Connor—"_

Vague impressions echo into his mind. _Stasis—you—please. Time._ And, _love you…_

The likelihood of his captors continuing to harm them if they don't resist is low. So he lets go. Of Connor's hand, and of his wakefulness.

**[ENTERING STASIS]**

**[-04:08:54 ESTIMATED TIME REMAINING BEFORE SHUTDOWN]**

* * *

The last thing Gavin expects as he walks down the street is for all the lights to flicker around him like in some horror movie. It sets him on edge, and he immediately starts looking around.

His phone buzzes, and if this isn't the most cliche horror plot— 

_r_

_e_

_e_

_d_

Text skitters across the screen, distorts. "What the fuck." 

_"Ree̵̦̫͊ ̶̥̜̒e̷̞̭̽̋e̴̛̺-ed."_

That's Connor's voice, coming from his phone. Or something like it, after it seemed to modulate and adjust from static tones to a relatively clear voice. "Connor, what the fuck is this?"

_"We—w̸̢͛e̸̦͙̋ ̸͔̑͠ê̵̗̼̋e̴̞̚͜ need help."_

The lights stop flickering and his screen stabilizes, returning to his normal home screen. Gavin frowns, the uneasiness only growing. 

He dials Connor.

_"The number you are trying to reach is not available."_

He dials Nines. 

_"The number you are trying to reach is not available."_

His palms are sweating. He dials Hank.

_"Gavin?"_

"Hey. Um. Have you seen Connor and Nines anywhere today?"

_"They left the house around lunch. Gavin, what's goin' on?"_

Gavin looks at the time. It's seven PM. "Connor just, uh. Fuck, it was like some shitty B horror movie…"

_"Gavin."_ The lieutenant's tone is firmer now. _"What happened."_

"All the lights started flickering around me and he took over my phone? It was glitching out. And then Connor started talking to me, it was all glitchy and shit. He—he said, 'we need help.'"

Gavin doesn't hear anything. He wonders if the lieutenant has stopped breathing. 

"Hank—"

Static bursts from his phone again, and he jerks it from his ear. " _Hh̸̙̔͂͜ ̷͕̜̔͗a̶̟͊ ̶̭̆͝n̷͓̂̈́k̸͚̻̃̀! Hank, ple-please. I can't— I can't feel. F-fragmented, everything is—_ "

"Connor!" Gavin interrupts him sharply. "Where are you?" 

_"Ah. R-right. It's—um."_ Gavin's phone buzzes, and he pulls it back to see his map app open. A circle is drawn over a block. _"S-somewhere… here. Ten human captors. Two armed. I— It's. Hard to think. I'm disconnected. I can't, I can't—"_

Three nearby lamps blow out, the sudden sound making Gavin jump as the glass scatters on the pavement. Holy shit. "Connor—"

_"Nines is dying. Please."_

A timer glitches into existence on his phone, just as the rest of the artifacts indicating Connor's presence melted away. 

**_[-03:43:22 ESTIMATED TIME REMAINING BEFORE SHUTDOWN]_ **

"Ah, _fuck_ …" Gavin notices that his hand is shaking from how hard he's gripping his phone. "Hank, you—you still there?"

_"Yeah,"_ croaked from his phone. 

"We need to—we should get some backup."

Silence. 

Gavin clicked his tongue. " _Get your shit together, Hank!_ Your—your kids need you."

A sharp inhale. 

"We'll get them back, alright? It'll be fine." Gavin watches the timer on his phone tick down. "They'll be fine."

He hears a deep breath. _"Right. Let's get to it then."_

* * *

They've surrounded the location in under an hour. Gavin still worries that it's not fast enough. What if their captors decided to get a move on with whatever they wanted to do? What if they decided not to keep Nines alive? What if Connor—he doesn't even know what's going on with Connor. Even when he was completely disembodied, he's never been so… _glitchy_. 

Flickering lights and glitching screens keep cropping up wherever Gavin goes, growing more frequent after Gavin and Hank get to the scene. Hank tells Gavin it was happening around him, too, earlier. Maybe it's just whenever Connor tries to… focus on them, or whatever. But he hasn't spoken since the call. 

Speaking of Hank. He looks… bad. But functional and focused, at least. Gavin might describe him as resembling "a string held up by constant stress." 

The operation goes well enough. All the electronic locks and alarms were disabled, which was nice. Connor probably had something to do with it. 

The abductors clearly weren't expecting to be discovered, which, given the fact that they were handling _androids_ , Gavin really wondered how the hell they could be so confident about that. Then he remembered Connor saying stuff about being "disconnected," and, _hmm_.

He finds the answer soon enough.

Once they apprehend all the perps, they head inside, sweeping the building for the two androids. 

He wonders if it's a stroke of kindness or cruelty that he finds them first. He immediately notices a mesh-like enclosure— _Faraday cage,_ he realizes. They're completely cut off from communication. He can see two forms through the gaps, and… a lot of blue. 

Gavin shudders, activating his communicator. "They're on floor B2, room B214. There's a Faraday cage, so I won't be able to communicate once I'm inside. I'm going to see if I can help them."

_"They're in a what?"_

Gavin hisses though his teeth. "It basically prevents any signals from getting through. Messes with the electromagnetic waves and stuff. I'm going to leave my communicator outside, so I can hear, but I won't be able to respond for a few minutes." With that, he pulls the device out of his ear and makes his way to the enclosure. 

It's locked, of course, but that's nothing a lock cutter can't fix. He tosses the now-useless chunk of metal aside, pushing aside the door. 

Nines looks like he was haphazardly shoved into a corner and restrained to one of the supports. His white jacket is stained with blue, blossoming from two shots to the chest. It's hard to tell with his black pants, but it looks like a lot of thirium is coming from his right leg. Connor, on the other hand, is just lying on his back, unmoving. His eyes stare blankly at the ceiling. If it weren't for their red LEDs, Gavin might've thought they were dead. 

Gavin wavers, indecision warring in his mind. But—Nines is on a time limit. Gavin approaches him first. A quick inspection lets Gavin conclude that the most pressing issue is thirium loss. 

Gavin lays a hand on his shoulder. "Nines, hey, are you okay?"

His LED cycles yellow for a moment, and his eyes flutter open. It looks like it takes a great amount of effort for him to meet Gavin's eyes. "N…" His voice is weak. 

Gavin leans closer. "What?"

"Neck," he forces out. 

The detective notices that Nines's collar has been pulled down. The skin around his neck melts away, and Gavin can see the telltale scratches of someone prying open the access port. 

A wave of disgust rolls through him. Did they—

The plate slides open, and Gavin's question is answered. A restraining chip has been almost haphazardly inserted amongst the delicate wiring, and Gavin wastes no time in pulling it out. 

Nines spasms, and immediately tears himself out of the pitiful attempt to cuff him to the pillar. He practically shoves Gavin aside as he stumbles towards Connor, leaving a trail of thirium behind his injured right leg. 

By the time Gavin's turned around, Nines is already pulling another chip out of Connor's neck. He tosses it aside and grabs Connor's hand in an interface. 

Connor barely even twitches. His empty gaze continues to remain lifeless. But his hand curls just slightly around Nines's, and that sends a pang of _something_ through Gavin.

He quickly makes his way over. "Come on. Let's get you both out of this shitty cage, at least." Gavin's gaze switches to Connor, and seeing that dead look is just. Unnerving. 

He's contemplating how to best drag them out when Nines scoops up Connor and somehow _stands._ His leg is stiff, unnaturally immobilized. He must've locked the actuators in place. "Nines, you're injured, let me—"

Nines just limps past him, making his way to the door. As soon as they step out, Connor gasps in something that almost sounds like _pain._ His voice crackles with static as he claws desperately at Nines's arms. And then he starts _crying,_ and _fuck,_ Gavin is not ready for this. 

He can't see Nines's face from this angle, but he can only imagine what it's like as he slowly lowers himself to the floor, burying his face in Connor's shoulder. Connor transitions to just clutching Nines's back, desperate gasps tapering into slower, shaky, breaths.

Nines starts to list, and Gavin jerks. Right. Injured. Dying. He pulls a spare pouch of thirium from his bag, sticking the straw in it before approaching the brothers and firmly grabbing Nines's shoulder. "Nines." When he doesn't respond, Gavin—part of him hates himself for doing this— forces Nines's face from Connor, pulling back on Nines's shoulder and pushing Connor down. 

Connor _wails,_ and Gavin realizes they were interfacing through that contact when the skin melts back over their necks. Nines looks like he wants to murder Gavin, and the detective honestly can't blame him. "Fuck. I'm sorry," he says. "Sorry, but Nines, you gotta drink this." 

Something flits across his face, before it settles into resignation. He shifts his grip so he can grab Connor's hand, reinitiating the interface and quieting his brother. He sips on the pouch when Gavin brings it to his lips, and his eyes fall closed as he seems to lose some of his tightly-wound tension. 

Gavin takes this time to inspect Connor. He doesn't look good, even though he seems pretty much uninjured. He's shivering like a leaf, and his eyes aren't looking at anything in the room. "I'm gonna check your port, okay?" He uses the softest voice he can. Connor's LED blinks from red to yellow for a moment, and his eyes fall closed. Gavin takes that as permission. Using his free hand, Gavin carefully turns his head to see the back of his neck. He presses lightly on the access points, making the skin melt away. Sure enough, scratches on the plate. Superficial damage, but it still makes Gavin sick. He slides the plate open, checking the wiring for any damage. It looks fine, luckily. 

He pulls his hand back just as Hank arrives along with a few other officers. The lieutenant immediately rushes forward, kneeling next to the three of them and grabbing the brothers' linked hands. "Shit, are you two okay? Please, _god—_ "

"I'm fine," Nines says, having pulled away from the pouch. "My damage can be repaired."

Hank nods jerkily. "That's—good. And Connor?" 

"F-f—" "in—" "e. Will—" "be." Both Hank and Gavin start in surprise. Or maybe shock. Connor's voice had echoed between their communicators, the android officer with them, and their phones—some at the same time. Connor's own body just shifts slightly. His free hand reaches up to grab Hank's sleeve, and it's Nines's other hand that grabs that of Hank's other arm. But the action is so _Connor,_ and it looks more like a single action from the same person. "St—" "ill. Scattered." "Har—" "d to rec-c—" "onnect." "Bound-d—" "aries are. Unclear." The last statement ends with Nines. The younger android grits his teeth. 

"There wasn't any choice," Nines voice is strained, like he's trying to justify this. Maybe to himself. "If he hadn't, there was a 7% chance that you'd find us in time." 

Gavin's hand presses harder into where it's laid on Connor's shoulder. Hank runs a hand down his face. "Come on," the lieutenant sighs. He sounds so tired. "Let's get you two patched up."

* * *

"Might have to bring them to Kamski's," Hank tells him while they're waiting in Jericho Tower for Simon to check up on Connor and Nines, "Want to come with?" and Gavin swears he stops breathing for a moment. 

Is this it? After years of radio silence, is this the best chance ( _excuse_ , his mind whispers) for Gavin to see him again? 

Hank must think he's panicking about the android brothers, because Hank puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Not 'cause anything's life-threatening. But they're both prototypes, and they have some… unique stuff. Connor had to go a lot…"

Nines had said as much that night so many weeks ago. "Sure," escapes from him airily. 

"I'll warn you that he's a bastard, but he's never complained about helping them for some reason…"

That _is_ pretty interesting, honestly. Eli never really does anything if he doesn't get _something_ out of it. Gavin just nods, and Hank's giving him a _look._ He knows that look. It's his detective look. Gavin turns his head away. 

It's at this point in time that the doors slide open. Nines walks out with a slight limp, holding Connor's hand, interfacing, as he pulls his brother along like he's some lost kid. Connor himself still doesn't look entirely here—he's dragging his feet, and his eyes stare blankly at nothing. He's completely pliant to his brother's hold.

Nines spots them, and makes his way over. "We are going to Kamski's residence," he says. "For my leg and Connor's systems." 

"We're taking you," Hank says, standing up. 

Gavin remembers that Nines already has some idea that there's something between him and Eli when the android's eyes flick to him, LED cycling briefly yellow. "We?" he asks. 

"Yeah, 'we.' Come on."

* * *

The ride is mostly silent. Connor and Nines sit in the back, Gavin with them. Nines is in the middle, and Connor's head is in his lap as he runs his fingers through Connor's hair. Connor's eyes are closed. It looks like he's sleeping. 

Gavin wants to—he doesn't know what he wants to do. He drums his fingers across his thigh, runs his knuckles across his bottom lip. He bounces his leg. 

Nines lays a hand on his forearm, then, and Gavin looks up. The android doesn't stop his ministrations with Connor, but he's just— _looking_ at him. Maybe it's reassuring. Maybe he's analyzing. But Gavin's movement stops at the contact, and Nines tilts his head at him. 

Gavin hesitates. He hovers a hand over Nines's, watching him for a reaction. Blue LED. He loosely grabs Nines's hand. Still blue. He starts pulling his fingers across Nines's, following the shape of his fingers, tracing his pristine nails. Gavin stops and looks up. 

Nines is still watching him. He blinks slowly, nods, and then closes his eyes, leaning his head back on the seat. So Gavin continues to fiddle with Nines's hand, running his thumb across his palm, across his knuckles. He figures Nines will stop him if he's uncomfortable.

He doesn't realize how calm he is until they arrive, and the nerves come back full-force. Nines gently pulls his hand away, firmly grasping Gavin's shoulder before getting up and helping Connor out of the car. 

The pathway up to the doorway feels too short. He's not ready. He's not ready to see him again but—when will he ever be? 

It's Chloe that opens the door. Their eyes meet, and linger. "We've been expecting you, Connor, Nines. Lieutenant Anderson and Detective Reed, the two of you are welcome to stay if you wish."

"We're staying," Hank says gruffly. "We would've gotten Nines a cab if we didn't want to."

"Of course. Please, come in."

The interior design is so _Elijah_ that Gavin has to blink. And of course he'd have a deadass picture of himself taking up the wall. Fucking narcissist. 

Chloe leads them past the foyer, taking them down a staircase towards what's _gotta_ be his personal lab. 

There's something like a break room, or a living room. Some chairs and tables, a sink and coffee machine. Just past that is a glass-walled atrium full of all the necessary tech for taking apart and putting back together androids. Some parts of the glass have been blacked out, concealing the view from that angle.

_"Detective Reed,"_ Gavin hears, and _god,_ it's been so long since he last heard his voice. "I never expected that you'd want to join our little sessions."

There he is, coming out of the door to the lab, off to the side. He's dressed casually—a dark long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Black jeans. His face is guarded, forcefully polite. Gavin hates it when he makes that face. 

Gavin just sighs, breaking eye contact. He's tired of all this. "I didn't expect to either. So are you gonna help them or what?"

Looking away has brought Hank into his field of view, and Gavin can practically see the gears spinning in his head. 

He glances back up, and Eli's looking at him in that way that feels like he's being picked apart. "I am." He snaps his head to Nines and Connor—they're still holding hands—in an almost birdlike motion. "So the successor has finally gotten more than he can handle, hmm? Your leg?" 

Nines nods. "Correct. Your assistance would be appreciated, Mr. Kamski." 

"Of course. And Connor? How are you doing?" Eli approaches the pair, reaching them in a few strides.

"Still—" the voice comes from Chloe, and Gavin jumps slightly, head whipping to where she's standing next to him. "scattered." Nines's voice. "Feels strange," he says, finally with his own. Eli gently— _gently, what the fuck—_ grabs Connor's chin and moves his fingers in front of Connor's eyes. The android blinks, clearly trying to follow them in the staggering movements of his eyes, but his gaze keeps drifting and he closes his eyes with a frustrated exhale. 

Eli sighs, pulling back. "I'll take a look at you once I'm done with your successor. Should be quick, with him." He turns to Gavin and Hank. "Will you stay here or come inside?"

Gavin's about to burst out an _of course we're going in_ , but Hank beats him to it with, "I'll stay here for Nines's part, thanks. I know you androids don't have the same sense of modesty as us humans, but I really don't need to see Nines with his pants off. What about you, Gavin?" 

He feels heat rise to his face. "I'll stay here too," he manages. 

"Of course." He swears Eli's laughing at him. Somewhere underneath. 

The three androids follow Eli into the lab, and they're out of sight behind the screen. Hank sits down on one of the chairs. Gavin quickly joins him, sinking into the cushions. 

"So," Hank drawls, "You know him, huh?" 

Gavin stills. Well, he expected this. "I do." 

A few minutes pass. Hank doesn't press. And then: "We're… related."

A pause. "Well, shit. You have my deepest condolences."

Gavin laughs. He laughs, and suddenly, there's a wetness on his face, and he's pressing his hands into his eyes, and there's so much he's feeling and he doesn't know what to do with it. 

He feels a hand on his shoulder, and a gentle voice. "Hey, hey, hey, you're alright. You're alright, kid."

_Not a kid,_ Gavin wants to say. Or, _Has anyone told you that you're such a dad?_ , except the guy seriously adopted two emotionally-constipated terminators for sons, so that's pretty much a proven point, isn't it? Gavin laughs again, and Hank puts a hand on his other shoulder. 

Eventually, he calms down enough to pull away. He can see the question on Hank's lips, held back. Gavin answers it. "We didn't part on… the best terms. But I miss him." 

Hank sighs, slumping back into his seat. "That's family for ya, huh?" 

Gavin huffs. "Sure is."

* * *

Chloe comes out, about half an hour after they went in. "You two are welcome to join us. Nines's leg is fully repaired; Elijah is checking on Connor now."

They go in, of course. Just in time to see Eli connecting a cable to the back of Connor's neck as Nines (with his pants on, thank God) sits next to his brother on the examination table, running his plastimetal thumbs across Connor's knuckles. Connor sighs softly as the nearby terminal screen flickers online.

"Please, take a seat." Eli waves a hand towards the chairs and stools scattered around the room, without taking his eyes off of Connor. 

Hank drags one of the closest rolling chairs over, sitting on it and crossing his arms. Gavin follows his example. 

Eli rolls over to the terminal, scanning the display. He works silently, completely fixated, for a few minutes, until he turns to Connor again, leveling him with a _look_. "Did you completely separate from your body? All the connections look as though they were haphazardly yanked apart and shoved back together. They're unstable." 

"Not entirely," Chloe says. Well, Connor, Gavin supposes. "I kept…" Nines speaks, "three percent in my own body." 

Eli sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If you know you're going to be disconnected, do us all a favor and keep at least half of yourself _in yourself._ You have no idea how ridiculously lucky you are." 

"What could've happened?" Hank asks sharply. 

"Oh," Eli pushes his glasses up— _he's wearing his_ glasses—"Nothing a few _months_ of picking apart all the new adaptations in his code couldn't fix. Luckily for you," he says lightly, turning back to Connor, "your AI is simply perceiving everything around you as part of your main body. I can fix the networking within a few hours." 

Connor hums. "Sorry, Elijah…" Gavin squints, _Elijah?_ , "I'll keep that in mind…"

Part of Gavin wonders if he should congratulate Connor for getting a full sentence out of his own mouth, but he's busy trying analyze their interactions. 

Eli sighs, turning back to his terminal. "I'll get to it, then. You can 'sleep,'" he air quotes with one hand, "Connor, if you want."

He must decide he wants to, because Nines pulls himself and Connor sideways, careful not to dislodge the cable, so that they're lying down on the table. 

"You two can stay or go as you please. There's isn't much to watch." Eli catches Gavin's eye when he looks up, but immediately turns away, which is _interesting._

"I'll be here," Hank grumbles. "Not my first rodeo with sitting in a chair for a few hours." 

"Mm." Eli starts tapping away at his computer. "And you, Gavin?" 

Gavin starts at his name. "I'll, uh—I'll be here, too." 

"Hm." Eli says nothing more, focus completely taken by the screen. 

* * *

He must've fallen asleep, because the next thing he's aware of is the click and hiss of a disconnecting access cable. 

"Connor, are you awake? How are you feeling?"

"Mmh." A sleepy voice. Gavin didn't even realize androids were capable of drowsiness, but it wouldn't surprise him if Connor's situation made him the exception. "Singular, again. Thanks, Elijah."

An exasperated sigh. "I don't mind. But you should at least make some effort to prevent harm to yourself."

"So I've been told."

Gavin sits up, then, making a number of observations as he opens his eyes: Eli is holding Connor's forearm as he helps him up, other hand on the back of his neck—two fingers loosely holding the access cable away. Nines is watching the two of them like a hawk, already sitting straight on the table. There was a blanket draped over Gavin, now slightly fallen off now that he's upright. 

He has no brain-to-mouth filter in the first minutes of waking, so of course the first thing he blurts is, "Holy fuck, Eli, are you two a thing?" 

Eli's head snaps to him, eyebrows lifted. And then he chuckles, turning back to Connor and slipping his hands free. "That depends on what you call a 'thing,' Gavin."

Holy shit. He gapes. 

Connor is quick to speak. "We're not—in a relationship, or romantically interested, or in sexual relations, if that's what you're asking? It's just—hmm." He frowns, brow furrowing. 

Eli looks like he's trying not to lose his shit. "Call it an intellectual infatuation, Gavin, if you must. On my end, a fascination with his unique development, perhaps." Gavin wonders if he notices the way his eyes soften, the way his shit-eating grin shifts into something more genuine, "And his company is not unpleasant, in contrast to yours."

"Wh—" Gavin stands up, pointing a finger at him. "Fuck you, Eli!" 

"Mm. Not into that," he says dismissively as he turns to the android brothers, and Gavin sputters.

"I have to wonder," Hank cuts in, voice dry, "What family life was like, if you two are like this now." 

And Gavin freezes. This—he hasn't had this in so long. They slot into their banter so easily, but he can't—he can't have this. They're already— 

"Equally unpleasant," Eli says lightly, cutting into his thoughts. "I'm sure you can imagine, what with dealing with him at the workplace." He helps Connor off the table, Nines immediately sliding off to hover by Connor's shoulder as Eli and Connor let go of each other. 

"Hey," Gavin protests. He leans down and picks up the blanket, now fallen to the floor. "Why's this here, anyway…"

"Chloe thought you looked cold," Eli fucking _snickers,_ "so she grabbed it for you."

Gavin looks back to see the aforementioned android behind them. She's sitting with her legs folded under her, perched on a stool, leaning on a table, playing some game on a tablet—but she looks up, smiles, and waves at him. Gavin looks back at the blanket. "... Thanks, Chloe," he mutters. 

Obviously, she hears with super android hearing, "It's no problem. You can leave it here, I use it for Elijah quite a bit—when he passes out working on his latest obsessions." 

"My, my, Chloe. How could you expose me like this?" 

She laughs, clear and bright, as she sets aside the tablet and slides off the stool. "Is it exposure when pretty much everyone in the room can figure it out?"

She has a point, and Gavin coughs to suppress a laugh, hand over his mouth. 

Eli closes his eyes and lifts his eyebrows, the way he does when he's just about, as they say, done. "Alright, out with you all. Repairs are done, shoo shoo." He says that, but still follows them all the way to the exit. 

"Gavin," he calls out, as Hank, Connor, and Nines are making their way to the car. 

Gavin pauses, turning back. Eli has his hands in his pockets as he meets Gavin's eyes with an inscrutable look. "Yeah?"

"Come over sometime, will you? I think we have a lot to catch up on."

And—Gavin just stands there, frozen. 

"You seem surprised." Eli looks past them, towards the car. "Nines confronted me about our relationship, which, well. He's quite bold, isn't he? To do so while 'under the knife,' so to speak." He sighs. "Both of them say you've changed. I can… see it, as well."

"You, too," Gavin blurts. 

Eli blinks at him. 

"The way you look at him—at Connor. You know, when I last saw you, you looked like a dead man walking. But you—" Gavin fumbles over his words. "You look alive again. Maybe it's— it's not, um, love, but. Fuck." He turns away. "It's _something_. You look—you look better. You're not. Soulless. 'n shit. I was wrong." 

Neither of them speak for a moment. 

"It was justified at that time, Gavin. But thank you. Will you visit?"

Gavin scuffs the ground with his shoe. "Yeah," he says. "I'll come by sometime."

He can't help but look back at his— _brother._ There's a faint smile on his lips. Gavin clicks his tongue and turns away, walking to the car. 

* * *

When Gavin slides into the back seat, he realizes that Connor's in the middle—if still leaning on Nines to the left. And of course, their hands are linked, casing exposed. 

"Done with your tearful reunion?"

"Screw off, Hank." The lieutenant shrugs, starting up the car. Gavin turns his attention to the androids next to him. "So you two figured it out, huh?"

"You didn't make a significant effort to hide it, Gavin." Nines's mouth twitches upward. "Though…"

"I knew." Connor's eyes lock on to Gavin's. "Because of… everything."

Gavin raises his eyebrows. "Does privacy exist to you, Connor?" 

The android purses his lips, eyes lowering. "I couldn't help it back then. I just _knew_ things. I knew _everything_ . Though there's a difference between _having_ the knowledge and being _aware_ of it." He sighs. "That's how it is now. I _can_ access everything, I just—try to keep my mind away. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to find out." 

Gavin exhales, closing his eyes. "It's fine, Connor. Like Nines said, I wasn't trying to hide it." 

Silence falls for a bit, until he hears a shift, and—there's a pressure on his shoulder. His eyes snap open to see Connor much closer, and yep—that's Connor's hand on him. 

"Earlier, you—" Connor bites his lip. "I just want to say—thank you for saving us, Gavin." 

And shoot, this means something, doesn't it? He's never called him "Gavin" before. Hank's eyeballing him from the rearview mirror, daring him to say something wrong, and he just: "It was a, uh. Team effort."

Connor glances back to Nines—impassive as ever—before returning his gaze to Gavin. "You found us, though. And you—stayed." He lifts his other hand in an aborted motion, and _oh._

Gavin reaches forward slowly, giving Connor time to pull back—but they're wrapped around each other, now, holding each other. "You're welcome, Connor," he says, muffled by the fabric he's pressed his face against. "Just try not to make it a habit to get abducted, yeah?" 

He laughs. His body shakes with it. "I'll try my best."

They peel away from each other, Gavin returning to a relatively normal sitting position, and Connor going back to leaning against Nines, taking his hand again.

"So, Connor," Hank says, a while later. "You 'intellectually infatuated' with Kamski, too?"

Huh, so that's what a flustered android looks like. Connor pulls out his quarter and starts rolling it across his knuckles. "He's… interesting. He isn't like any other human or android I know. I just—our conversations. Our times together are always… interesting. The way he thinks, the way he feels…" Connor trails off with a thoughtful hum.

Match made in heaven, fucking god. "Interesting is one word for it," Gavin mutters. 

Connor laughs. "That it is."

Hank just sighs, grumbling to himself. "Can't believe I have a godlike robot son that's kind-of-friends-with-not-really-dating the creator of androids. _His_ creator! Can't believe this. Jesus Christ. If I told my past self that this was going to be my future—"

Both Connor and Nines just watch him with fond exasperation in their eyes. Connor's obviously trying not to laugh. Gavin pats him awkwardly on the arm. 

_If I told my past self that this was going to be my future,_ Gavin thinks, _I wouldn't have believed I could ever have anything like this._

But he does. He does, somehow. He looks above Connor's slightly hunched form to see Nines. The younger android notices, eyes jumping to him, head tilting slightly. And then he just—smiles. He smiles, and it's one of those fucking smiles that just makes him feel _valued_ , and Gavin just—he huffs, and he looks away. But when he sinks back into his seat, closing his eyes… 

He finds a smile growing on his own face. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> Also, this is definitely a Gavin that happens to have a considerable bit of android knowledge. Influence from his brother and all. 
> 
> By the way, Kamski is also ace/aro-spec in this series! On the romantic side, I'd say he's really not capable of feeling what's considered to be 'romantic' love for someone. (Whereas Connor is *shrugs* about romance and Nines is repulsed by it) In general, I feel like he feels emotions in an unusual way.  
> As for asexuality, he probably just. Doesn't feel any sexual interest whatsoever.  
> I've definitely considered myself "intellectually infatuated" with various people before, as well - such an interesting feeling. I think about them a lot, but completely out of a romantic or sexual context, heh.


End file.
